"The trio is officially 1 down forever" - Fans react as Shikhar Dhawan announces retirement from cricket
Senior cricketer Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of international and domestic cricket on Saturday, August 24. His last competitive game was during the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he led the Punjab Kings against the SunRisers Hyderabad.
Dhawan represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is during a career that spanned almost 13 years. During his time with the Men in Blue, the left-handed batter smashed seven Test centuries and 17 ODI hundreds, scoring over 10,000 international runs.
While he rose to prominence with a quickfire 85-ball hundred against Australia in the Mohali Test, Dhawan was a modern-day legend in ODIs. He had a breakthrough campaign during India's title-winning 2013 Champions Trophy, scoring 363 runs in five innings, including two centuries. Overall he scored 1162 runs in ODIs at an average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 97.89 that year.
Shikhar Dhawan is also an IPL legend, having represented the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, and Punjab. He is the second-highest scorer in the tournament's history after Virat Kohli with 6,769 runs from 222 matches, including two tons and 51 half-centuries.
Fans seemed sad after learning about Dhawan's retirement from professional cricket. They took to social media to express their sadness.
Here are some reactions:
"This is how you retire. No drama. No attention seeking tactic. A plain and simple announcement, seedha dil se. Thank you #ShikharDhawan for all that you have done for India and the Indian cricket team! Do well in the next phase of your life!" a fan wrote.
"๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ธ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป is so underrated. Heโs one of Indiaโs most successful openers and has been phenomenal in ICC events, consistently delivering under pressure and leading from the front," another fan referred to him as a legend in ICC events.
"The man who taught us to smile no matter what the situation. There will be no one like him. Happy retirement, Gabbar," another fan chimed in.
"We will miss that trademark style of Gabbar. He played, enjoyed and ended his cricket career happily. Happy retirement Shikhar Dhawan," another fan expressed.
"It's important to turn the page to move forward in life" - Shikhar Dhawan on his retirement
Shikhar Dhawan took to social media to announce his retirement from all forms of cricket. In a video shared on social media, he stated that he has told his mind to make peace with the decision thinking that he has represented the country for over a decade.
"It's important to turn the page to move forward in life and that's why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket," he said in a video posted on his social media accounts. "I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India. I've told myself don't feel sad that you won't play for India anymore, but feel happy that you played for the country."